LYING DORMANT...

I know I haven't been blogging as often, but I never really found the time to blog. Oh hell...Who am I kidding, I was just too lazy to blog the past month. Lazy and tired to be exact. But I have made a point to blog by the end of January. So here I am.

Before I start, I'd like to wish Fadhil a happy 17th birthday. I know I'm a few days off but I hope you understand.

Ok. I started the new year by restarting an old pastime of mine, golf. Not playing for 4 months screws up your swing alot. But after playing another few days, I think I've got my swing back. But this ain't the highlight of my month.

On Hari Raya Haji, I met up with my relatives at my grandfather's house. There, I met with an aunt of mine who is the principal of MINDS Jurong Gardens School. My mom complained to her that I was doing nothing at home. So being the kind aunt that she is, she asked me whether I would like to volunteer there. Well, to be frank, she didn't exactly ask me. My mom and her kinda ganged-up on me. So technically I was forced to go.
I went there the next day and filled up the form. Met the VP as he's in charge of the volunteers. His name was Mr. Lee.

I found out that my first task was to help him take down an old chalkboard that was literally falling apart. I mean it was held up by only nylon ropes and some thick string. The nails were so rusty that they were just black. The wooden supports were chipping away. It was a disaster waiting to happen. We couldn't really dismantle the whole thing as the frame reached all the way to the ceiling. So we just cut all the ropes and placed the chalkboard all the way at the bottom so as to not pose a danger to the kids.

That was just my first task. I have been asked to do these large cut-out of birds and paint them black. They were to be used as a way of addressing the current pigeon problem in the canteen. This alone took me 4 days to complete. Another task that required my physical labour was putting up ten shelves in the resource room. The task would have been much easier if the room had some bloody air-conditioning. The fans really didn't help as their reach went as far as the outside of the racks. Once I went in between the racks to do the shelving, it was like working in a sauna. But I'm not complaining 'cause my mother's giving me 10 bucks a day just for leaving the house and my aunt is giving me 10-20 bucks a week if she thinks I did good.

The great part about going to work there isn't the cash I receive. Workin with the children can be very fun and enriching. I've taken children from almost every level. From pre-school to juinor to senior and even the special classes. Junior could be compared to primary level and senior is sort of secondary level. Special is a whole different level. These are the ones who are slow learners and also have autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The age of the kids in the class can range from 8 to 18. The younger ones are usually much easier to control but the older ones are really a chore. You know how pre-schoolers run around and grab stuff? Well imagine an 18 year-old doing that. That was what I had to handle. If it was a pre-schooler, I could have easily pried them away from whatever hazardous thing they were playing with or just carried them back to their seat. But it's quite hard to do that to an 18 year-old who cannot really control his own strength. Carry him back to his seat? Are you crazy? It would be like carrying Pradip while he was throwing a three year-old tantrum. So what do I do? I just try to do the best I can do discipline him, even if it means shouting at him. But it's ok, I think. The kids rarely hold grudges against you and even though it's not to be abused, it's kind of heart warming to see the kids smile and wave at you while they are leaving on their bus even though you just gave them a scolding that would have made any other kid pee in their pants.

Favourite class? Pre-school and Senior 3. The kids are not only easy to manage but are generally more responsive and vibrant in class. They tend to interact more and are not that shy or introverted. Actually, the previous statement is just referring to Senior 3. They are graduating, so they must have those characteristics. I love the pre-school class 'cause they are just so bloody cute. They are still familiarizing themselves with their surroundings so they are still generally afraid to wander off. And they are also very eager to learn which makes teaching much easier.

Another great thing is when I can follow the students who are going for their CCAs. So far I have accompanied the children to bowling and horse-riding. No, I didn't get to ride the horses but it was fun seeing the children ride them.

Well, that's pretty much I am willing to write for now. I'll try to keep updating more often from now on.

An educated man learns everything from books,
A smart man learns that books don't teach you everything.
-Another quote from this man :: PSYCHOSIS